The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework was formally adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15) in Montreal, Canada on 19th December 2022, following four years of protracted negotiations.
COP15, an international conference on biodiversity, took place in Montreal, Canada from 7 to 19 December 2022. The conference was held under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
COP15 resulted in a significant achievement: the establishment of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework outlines global objectives aimed at combating the continuous decline of biodiversity.
COP15, COP27: Why Two COPs?
In 2022, the United Nations hosted two COPs: COP15 in Montreal, Canada and COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt. But what exactly does COP mean, and why were there two different numbers, 15 and 27, associated with them? Let’s delve into the meaning and significance of these COPs.
COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties,’ which refers to conferences organised by the United Nations. These conferences bring together high-level participants, including states, regional organisations, and non-governmental actors. The aim is to foster collaboration and dialogue on critical global issues.
Understanding Climate COPs
Climate COPs, or Conferences of the Parties, are globally recognized environmental conferences held annually, with the most famous being COP21, which took place in France in 2015.
At this conference, the Paris Agreement was accepted, with the ambitious objective of keeping global warming well under 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally to 1.5 degrees, relative to pre-industrial temperatures.
The climate conference in Paris was the 21st of its kind, hence the name COP21. Following this, the 27th conference, COP27, was convened in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022.
The upcoming COP28 is scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in the United Arab Emirates.
Biodiversity COPs
There is another important COP that is focused on biodiversity. This COP is specifically dedicated to the ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’. This significant gathering takes place biennially, providing a platform to address crucial matters related to biodiversity and associated issues.
The Convention on Biological Diversity was ratified by 150 government leaders during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Its mission is to safeguard and preserve biological diversity. Presently, it has been ratified by 195 countries, including the European Union, except the United States and the Vatican.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a global agreement established in 1992, aimed at the conservation of biodiversity. Witnessing near-universal participation, the CBD has been ratified by 196 countries, signifying a worldwide commitment to preserving biological diversity.
The COP15 on biodiversity was conducted in two stages, culminating in Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 19 December 2022. Initially slated for October 2020 in Kunming, China, the event was deferred due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COP15 concluded with a groundbreaking accord, aiming to safeguard 30 percent of the Earth’s lands, coastal regions, and inland waters by the decade’s end. This momentous agreement marks a significant step towards preserving our planet’s natural treasures for future generations.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework also strives to reduce food waste by 50% and includes proposals to enhance financial support for developing nations.
The urgency to protect our planet’s biodiversity is reaching a critical point: the world is witnessing an unprecedented decline in nature, largely attributed to human interference.
We are currently heading towards the largest mass extinction event since the dinosaurs, with a staggering one million species of plants and animals in danger of vanishing, many within our lifetime. Preserving the biodiversity of our planet carries immense significance. It is a race against time that we simply cannot afford to lose.
The Interconnection Between Climate COPs and Biodiversity COPs
So far, the conferences dedicated to climate and biodiversity have operated separately. Yet, the call for climate solutions that address both these issues concurrently has been steadily growing.
The crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are inextricably linked and must be confronted as a unified issue. However, the Climate and Biodiversity COPs aren’t the only ones of their kind. In 2022, another pivotal COP took place under the Convention on Desertification. This was its fifteenth assembly, referred to as COP15, and was hosted in Côte d’Ivoire.
What Was The Outcome Of COP15?
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) emerged as a landmark achievement from COP15. This new framework, endorsed by 188 governments, presents international objectives aimed at countering the continuing loss of biodiversity on both land and sea. The consensus on the GBF symbolises a global commitment to preserving our planet’s diverse ecosystems and species.
2.1 Goals And Targets
The GBF contains four overarching goals and 23 targets. The four goals set out a vision for biodiversity by 2050:
- Goal A: Substantially increase the area of natural ecosystems by maintaining, enhancing or restoring the integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems. Reduce by tenfold the extinction rate and risk of all species and increase the abundance of native wild species. Maintain the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species and safeguard their adaptive potential.
- Goal B: Ensure nature’s contributions to people are valued, maintained and enhanced, with those contributions currently in decline being restored.
- Goal C: Share the monetary and non-monetary benefits of the utilisation of genetic resources, digital sequence information on genetic resources, and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources with Indigenous people and local communities. Additionally, ensure traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources is appropriately protected.
- Goal D: Ensure all parties (specifically developing countries) have adequate means to implement the GBF. This includes financial resources, capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access to technology.
Also Read | Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021
The Global Targets For 2030
- Effective conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, with emphasis on areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services. This has been informally referred to as the ‘30 by 30’ deal.
- Reduce global food waste by half and significantly reduce over-consumption and waste generation.
- Reduce by half both excess nutrients and the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals.
- Progressively phase out or reform subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least $500bn per year, whilst scaling up positive incentives for biodiversity conservation.
- Encourage at least $200bn per year in domestic and international biodiversity-related funding from public and private sources
- Increase international financial flows from developed to developing countries by at least $20bn per year by 2025, and to at least $30bn per year by 2030.
- Require transnational companies and financial institutions to monitor, assess and disclose the impact on biodiversity of their operations, supply chains and portfolios.
Alongside these goals and targets, the parties have approved a range of associated agreements concerning the implementation of the GBF. for example, there was an agreement among the parties that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) should promptly establish a dedicated trust fund to provide assistance to countries in their GBF implementation efforts.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is an international organisation dedicated to providing financial support for the preservation of biodiversity, restoration of nature, reduction of pollution, and addressing climate change in developing countries.
While the GBF lacks legal enforceability, it mandates countries to periodically monitor and report their advancements in alignment with the GBF’s objectives and milestones, either every five years or sooner.